Tennis
Roger Federer: “I can come back to the highest levels”
Roger Federer konows his body, and if he thinks he can come back to the highest level, we must belive he can do it. The past two years have been quite complicated for the Swiss Maestro, who had to deal with a serious right knee injury.
Suffice it to say that the former world number 1 played just 13 official matches in 2021, collecting nine wins and four losses. The round of 16 at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon were his best seasonal results, far too little for a champion of his caliber.
After losing sharply to Hubert Hurkacz at the Championships, the King announced that he had suffered a knee relapse and had to operate for the third time. The 40-year-old from Basel is still struggling with rehabilitation and will not be back in action until the end of summer / early autumn.
The Laver Cup could be the ideal venue for his return, but it is still too early to say no. Despite the many difficulties encountered in the recent period, the 40-year-old from Basel has not lost his optimism.
Roger Federer: “I can come back to the highest levels”
Roger wrote in a letter: “After many months of fighting my injuries, my return to the circuit in March 2021 motivated me to continue playing tennis.
I am grateful for all the minutes I have been able to spend with my fans, showing me incredible support in every corner of the world.” “The tournaments I played last year made me realize that my career as an athlete has not yet come to an end.
The progress I make every day reinforces within me the idea that one day I will be strong enough to return to playing at the highest level,” continued the 20-time Grand Slam champion. Roger had to overtake Rafael Nadal in the all-time rankings of the Majors, while Novak Djokovic snatched the Swiss record for weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. The Swiss had to say goodbye to the Top 10 for the first time since 2017.
Is it possible for superstars to be impressed by their own popularity despite having lived under the spotlight for a long time? Apparently, Maria Sharapova still hasn’t gotten used to her success. On April 3, the Russian shared her cell phone number with her Twitter followers and asked them to text her, explaining that a big part of her wish is due to the fact that “we’re all in this separation, this physical-distancing [thing] together”.
The response from the five-time Grand Slam champion’s fans was immediate and the video received over 60,000 views in barely two hours. But leave it to social media to exponentially increase statistics… Not even two days later, Sharapova posted a new message on her account in which she expressed her surprise at the traction generated by her video.
“2.2 million views in 40 hours,” she wrote. Before inserting a GIF of a woman frantically typing on her cell phone keyboard, she added, “My current phone status…”
2.2 million views in 40 hours. My current phone status… 🤯 https://t.co/JBz3jTcZEE pic.twitter.com/3LhexYt9t9
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) April 5, 2020
Not only did I just get a 310 number( hello cool cats🌴)but I’m sharing it with you—Text me! 310-564-7981. For real. Tell me how you’re doing, ask me questions, or just say hello 👋🏼 Any great recipes welcome too 😉#community pic.twitter.com/JNCuGzJXRS
— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) April 3, 2020
Many from all over the world have requested that she get WhatsApp or at least that she share a way in which they could reach her. Others, who have been lucky enough to be able to text her, are still waiting for an answer. Four days after being posted, the video had climbed up to over 3.7 million views.
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John McEnroe has suggested that Rafael Nadal gets special treatment from umpires over his slow service routine
John McEnroe has suggested that tennis superstar Rafael Nadal gets special treatment from umpires.
The tennis legend made the claim while speaking to Insider last month about superstitions he had on the court during his playing career.
“I didn’t have any major superstitions,” said McEnroe. “Sometimes, I’d step on lines on odd games and not step on the same lines in deuce games, or I’d mismatch outfits on purpose because I was winning that way.
“It was those sort of things. I wasn’t nearly as bad as Rafa.”
The American went on to reference Nadal’s famous serving routine, in which before each serve, the Spaniard places his hair behind his ear, pulls his nose and adjusts his shorts while bouncing the ball numerous times.
“Rafa has got his ritual that takes 30 seconds every time he plays a point,” he said. “If you’re that great you can get away with it.
“That’s one of the incentives of being the best — you get away with more, as evidenced by what I did at times on the court and what he does, in a totally classier way, though. Obviously, he’s not out there screaming at people or anything.”
McEnroe isn’t the first person to suggest Nadal is given preferential treatment by umpires over his slow style of play.
At the Australian Open in January, Canadian player Denis Shapovalov said the 35-year-old “100%” gets special treatment, after losing to Nadal in the quarterfinals.
“I think it’s unfair how much Rafa is getting away with,” Shapovalov said after the defeat. He had twice complained to umpire Carlos Bernardes about how much time Nadal was taking between points during the match.
Players are allowed 25 seconds between points and two minutes between sets, all timed by a shot clock.
“Every other match that I have played, the pace has been so quick because the refs have been on the clock after every single point,” said Shapovalov.
“This one, after the first two sets, it was like an hour and a half just because he’s dragged out so much.”
He added: “I respect everything that Rafa has done, and I think he’s an unbelievable player. But there have got to be some boundaries, some rules set.
“It’s just so frustrating as a player. You feel like you’re not just playing against the player; you’re playing against the umpires, you’re playing against so much more.”
In reply to the Canadian’s claims, Nadal said: “I believe he is wrong in this case.”
A representative for Nadal, when presented with McEnroe’s comments, responded: “The time between points are timed by a clock that both players, umpire and public can see. If any player goes below the rules time allow they automatically get a warning. So I don’t really see anymore the discussion about this matter.”
NOVAK DJOKOVIC’s son won his first club tournament.
Novak Djokovic lifted his sixth Italian Open title on Sunday on what was a special day for his family, as his seven-year-old son was busy winning his own tournament at home in Serbia. The world No 1 revealed after his victory that his son Stefan was playing his first club tournament and has since confirmed that he was victorious, admitting that Stefan had even inspired his own tennis and reminded him of his childlike love for the sport.
Djokovic extended his record of Masters 1000 titles to 38 with his 6-0 7-6(5) win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday but admitted that his son Stefan, who had been at his last Masters win in Paris-Bercy, wasn’t watching his victory because he was busy playing his own tournament, where he made it two for two in the Djokovic family by winning the event. The Serb said it felt like a “sunshine double” for the family, and admitted that it was the seven-year-old who had inspired him with his approach to tennis.
“Well, the journey started successful,” he said of Stefan’s first foray into competitive tennis. “My son won the tournament today. I just received that news. A sunshine double today. It’s a very small club tournament. Obviously it doesn’t really matter. The result is secondary. It was nice to see him playing.”
The 20-time Major champion also explained he had never pushed his son into tennis, and instead it was Stefan who fell in love with the sport, something that he was taking as motivation. “I have to remind myself, I have privilege to be father of wonderful kids. I try to take that energy, childish energy, and fuel my inner child because I tend to forget about my inner child a lot.
Novak Djokovic reveals family inspiration as son fires tennis career off to winning start
NOVAK DJOKOVIC’s son won his first club tournament.
Novak Djokovic’s son started his tennis career with a win (Image: Getty)
Novak Djokovic lifted his sixth Italian Open title on Sunday on what was a special day for his family, as his seven-year-old son was busy winning his own tournament at home in Serbia. The world No 1 revealed after his victory that his son Stefan was playing his first club tournament and has since confirmed that he was victorious, admitting that Stefan had even inspired his own tennis and reminded him of his childlike love for the sport.
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Djokovic extended his record of Masters 1000 titles to 38 with his 6-0 7-6(5) win over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday but admitted that his son Stefan, who had been at his last Masters win in Paris-Bercy, wasn’t watching his victory because he was busy playing his own tournament, where he made it two for two in the Djokovic family by winning the event. The Serb said it felt like a “sunshine double” for the family, and admitted that it was the seven-year-old who had inspired him with his approach to tennis.
“Well, the journey started successful,” he said of Stefan’s first foray into competitive tennis. “My son won the tournament today. I just received that news. A sunshine double today. It’s a very small club tournament. Obviously it doesn’t really matter. The result is secondary. It was nice to see him playing.”
The 20-time Major champion also explained he had never pushed his son into tennis, and instead it was Stefan who fell in love with the sport, something that he was taking as motivation. “I have to remind myself, I have privilege to be father of wonderful kids. I try to take that energy, childish energy, and fuel my inner child because I tend to forget about my inner child a lot.
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Novak Djokovic won his first title of the season in Rome (Image: Getty)
“Everything is so serious. It’s your profession. It’s your job. You got to be this. You got to be that. You got to be disciplined. Sometimes we take life too serious. They remind me of that connection, that pure energy.” Djokovic also said he had been speaking about the tournament with Stefan, who was staying up late to practice his swings.
He said: “Obviously we had a chat last few days about the routines and the things he should do before the match. I was kind of leading him into this world. It was interesting to see how he responds to that. Obviously you have to speak in their language about things that I feel like it could help him.
“The first official tournament or match always stays in your memory very fondly. I really wanted him to enjoy it on the court. Shortly that we spoken, he was on the cloud nine with all the family, my parents, my wife’s parents, everybody there supporting him. It’s nice.
“I’m not forcing him to play tennis. I never did that. Not a single day have I told him you have to do this. It’s really purely his own desire to step on the court. If he wants to embark on this journey, I guess I have to embark with him, too. Of course, I’ll be thrilled if he plays tennis.”
But the seven-time year-end world No 1 accepted that Stefan would receive a lot of hype as his son, adding: “Look, he’s only seven. I mean, he’s still a child, he’s so young. He shouldn’t feel any of the pressure or expectations yet, even though he’s going to because it’s part of I guess his family. He’s going to attract a lot of attention if he’s playing tennis, particularly in our country.
“He’s doing well so far. He’s really in love with the sport. Last night when I spoke to him, he was up till late. He was showing me forehands and backhands, how he’s going to move tomorrow, kind of shadowing, playing shadow tennis, without racquet. It was so funny to see that. I used to do that when I was a kid. I could see the joy in him, the pure emotion and love for the game. That’s 99.9% of children when they start to play tennis or any sport is because they fall in love with it.”
Wherever Novak Djokovic goes, a crowd is sure to follow.
From standing-room only practises to throngs of fans asking for autographs as he makes his way through the grounds at Roland Garros, the defending champion has been a top draw in Paris for more than 15 years. But after COVID restrictions limited attendance to 1,000 spectators daily for the 2020 event and peaked at 8,500 for last year’s men’s singles final, packed crowds are a welcome sight for the top seed.
“It’s great to see the crowd back [and] the full capacity on all courts. Lots of young people, lots of kids, this is something that I really love to see,” said Djokovic. “It always gives you energy. For me at this stage of my career, a crowd and this energy of people coming to watch me play is one of the biggest reasons why I keep on competing [and] playing professional tennis.
“I think the improvements and facilities in the last few years have been great… It’s great that the tournament is recognising the importance of investing back in the facilities and trying to improve the experience for everyone.”
Djokovic has always been energised by a vocal audience and that has reflected in his performances so far this fortnight. The Serbian is through to the third round without dropping a set, scoring a convincing 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Alex Molcan to reach this juncture of the tournament for the 17th consecutive year.
“I’m pleased with the way I’m feeling on the court [and] the way I’ve been striking the ball,” said Djokovic. “I think today was also under challenging conditions and playing against a specialist on clay, someone that is a tricky opponent and coming off from the [Lyon] final last week. It was never going to be an easy match, but I thought I performed very well.”
“It’s about figuring out what works for you.”
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